Hospital: Five injured at North Carolina State Fair

By Steve Almasy, CNN

updated 3:40 AM EDT, Fri October 25, 2013

At least two of the victims are seriously injured.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Sheriff says two people seriously hurt when ride restarted
• NEW: State officials says rides are inspected three times a day
• People were getting off the ride when the incident happened

(CNN) -- At least five people were being treated Thursday night at WakeMed hospital in Raleigh after an incident at the North Carolina State Fair, hospital spokeswoman Linda Fowler told CNN.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said at a news conference that two victims were seriously injured.

Jeffrey Hammerstein at Wake County EMS only knew of one person with serious injuries. Another person had minor injuries, he said. He had no details on the condition of the other three victims.

Brian Long, a spokesman for the fair, said the accident involved a ride called the Vortex.

The Vortex restarted while a ride operator was preparing to offload its riders, Harrison said.

Harrison said the ride operator was one of the people injured. The victims included some family members between the ages of 14 and 39.

A spokeswoman for the North Carolina Department of Labor, Dolores Quesenberry, said rides at the fair are inspected three times each day of the 10-day event that is scheduled to end Sunday.

The rides at the fair -- about 100 total, according to its website -- are provided by Powers Great American Midways.

The New York-based carnival company describes the Vortex as one of its "spectacular" rides.